Saquon Barkley Set to Play for Eagles at Commanders

Saquon Barkley is on track to play Sunday night. The Eagles running back was limited in practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday, but he carries no injury designation into Philadelphia's game at the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium (8:20 PM ET).

"I would hope so; I believe I'll be able to," Barkley said after Friday's practice when asked if he would play. For a 2-5 team riding a five-game losing streak, that is the best news the Eagles have gotten in weeks.

What Happened Last Monday

Barkley came into the Week 7 game against Dallas already dealing with a hamstring injury, then his back locked up during the game and he missed part of the second half. He played only nine snaps, but he got the ball on every one of them and still put up 71 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles lost that one 38-21, their fifth straight loss and their longest skid since 2016. Jalen Hurts is expected to miss the rest of the season with blood clots in his lungs, so Tanner McKee is running the offense. McKee has thrown for 426 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in two starts.

Barkley made it clear why he keeps pushing to get out there. "There's one day I'm not going to be playing football. Whenever that is, I don't want to look back and be like, 'I could have given it a chance and I didn't,'" he said.

A Thin Eagles Roster

The backfield behind him is short. Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley, Dameon Pierce and Carson Steele are all on injured reserve, which leaves Jaydon Blue and Elijah Mitchell as the other options. The receiver room is even rougher, with DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and Dontayvion Wicks (ankle) ruled out again.

Linebacker Jihaad Campbell, cornerback Jonathan Jones and returner Britain Covey are out too. The one bit of good news is edge rusher Nolan Smith, who has no designation after missing last week with a concussion.

Why Sunday Matters

Washington is 1-4-1 and coming off a bye, and whoever loses this one sits in last place in the NFC East. The Eagles won the first meeting 24-22 back in Week 1. The Commanders are without Terry McLaurin, who is on injured reserve, and leading rusher Jacory Croskey-Merritt, so expect a lot of Jayden Daniels on the ground. He leads the league at 8.5 yards per carry, and the Eagles rank 21st against the run.

My Smacktok lean: go higher on Barkley's receptions. With Smith and Wicks both out, McKee is short on targets, and Barkley got the ball on every snap he played last week.

A sixth straight loss would leave the Eagles four games under .500 with the first-place Giants coming to Philadelphia next week. Barkley wants the ball. Philly needs him to have it.